Department of Justice

Six from Northeast Ohio with Convictions for Violent Crimes Indicted for Firearms Offenses

Six people from Northeast Ohio were indicted in federal court for firearms crimes.

All six are charged with being felons in possession of firearms and ammunition. They are: John Lewis Chapple, 31, of Cleveland; Anthony L. Norman, 35, of Cleveland, Miquel Jones, 48, of Cleveland; Marwan Little, 42, of Elyria, Clifton D. McCarty, 38, of Cleveland, and Tequan Rushton, 23, Youngstown

“These defendants are all people who are illegally carrying guns and who have committed violent crimes in the past,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said.

“ATF’s mission is reducing violent gun crime in our country,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Trevor A. Velinor. “We are committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to follow the gun and remove the most violent criminals from our streets.”

Chapple was arrested on May 10 with a Czech cal-st-alb-et, 7.62 caliber semi-automatic handgun and ammunition, despite prior convictions on two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of felonious assault; additional convictions for kidnapping, felonious assault and aggravated robbery, according to the indictment.

Norman was arrested on May 6 with a Springfield Arms .45-caliber handgun and ammunition, despite previous convictions for felonious assault with a firearm specification, carrying a concealed weapon and intimidation of a crime victim or witness.

Jones was arrested on May 23 with a Ruger 9 mm handgun, a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun and 16 rounds of 9 mm ammunition despite previous convictions for robbery, domestic violence, burglary and other crimes.

Little was arrested on April 4 with a Amadeo Ross .38-caliber revolver and five rounds of ammunition despite a prior conviction for felonious assault.

McCarty was arrested on March 17 with a Taurus 9 mm handgun and 20 rounds of ammunition, despite prior convictions which made it illegal for him to have a firearm, including multiple drug trafficking crimes, attempted felonious assault of a peace officer, and attempted felonious assault with repeat violent offender specification.

Rushton was arrested on March 14 with a SCCY 9 mm pistol and ammunition despite a prior felony conviction for assault, according to the indictment.

This case is being prosecuted as part of "Project Safe Neighborhoods," a gun violence reduction program administered by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio. The program targets armed criminals for federal prosecution.

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Cleveland Division of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, the Elyria Police Department, the Youngstown Police Department and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian S. Deckert, Payum Doroodian, Danielle K. Angeli and David M. Toepfer.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial, in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.